Deputy Police Chief James Spinney said that at about 2:42 p.m., the Police Department received a call from the store's bakery department. A worker there reported he believed staff were witnessing a robbery in progress inside the store's bank with employees running around.

The suspect, described as an "older" white man in a black jogging suit with white hair, took off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Spinney said officers found a knife at the scene. It is unclear if the suspect brandished a knife before leaving the scene.

Spinney said K9 units were called in, including the Chelmsford K9 officer, to search for the suspect who ran toward Staples at the Chelmsford Mall farther down the road. Spinney said officials found the stolen cash left on the ground in the back of Staples. Witnesses reported they saw a man matching the suspect's description take off in a red pick-up truck.

The deputy chief added police are circulating the suspect's photo, which was pulled from surveillance footage inside the grocery store.